Origin of the Species

I saw this a few years ago and it has STAYED with me. Not only is the cinematography excellent, but Amanda Peet shines. So does the entire ensemble. You watch this movie, rapt, riveted, and laughing about bonobos' sex lives, and then suddenly you feel sobered and you're soul searching and wondering whether you, like these characters, can truly account for each passing birthday. It's really a movie about growing up, like it or not, and how hard that can be. That's one reason why I loved the scene, at the beginning, of children jumping into a beautiful lake. At the end it's the adults who plunge in. And I think the filmmakers are trying to say that we all have a childlike spirit within us that keeps us young but also sometimes keeps us from growing up. I totally recommend this film.

Filmed in and around a Westchester County summer house, this is the annual re-union of 6 friends in their late 20's. Based on screenwriter Weston Ackerman's own play, the film adaptation directed by Andres Heinz pads out the dialogue with those generic toneless dirges on the soundtrack, credited to Joel Goodman, that pass for contemporary "reflective" pop music. Maybe on stage this unpunctuated talk had some acumulative sense, but here it only demonstrates how selfish and shallow these people are. Being 20somethings, we get de rigueur drug and alcohol abuse, swearing, sex, skinny dipping, secret crushes and jealousies. The title is explained by the idea that the secret of Darwin's theory of evolution is sex, since survival of the fittest requires reproduction. It's easy to see how this relates to one person being pregnant but no easy to another who has testicular cancer. Heinz adds some sex fantasies, a gothic baby nightmare, and one intercut between an infidelity and the deceived partner cooking. Ackerman only produces one laugh line in "That was the beer talking". None of the 6 leads display any great charisma or acting, though I was grateful we were spared the site of Jonathan LaPlagia's over-gymed body.

This is a coming-of-age story for recent generations (baby boomers forward), for whom a substantial amount of maturing often takes place post-college. While dealing with various personal decisions, six friends try to figure out exactly how one grows up without growing old. The setting, a house in the verdant and upscale NYC suburbs, is made to look positively Edenic--surely, a conscious choice on the part of the filmmakers, though not one that beats us over the head.

Lest "Origin of the Species" sound fraught with heavyset (to borrow from Woody Allen), all this is presented with a remarkably light touch, a cast of engaging characters, and plenty of humor. Since making the film, several of the actors have gone on to greater success, and their performances here show why.

I beg to differ on the 'praises' that were given towards this movie. Right away "Paul" got on my nerves with his constant talk about Darwin and evolution of species (while Yes I do realize that was to be mentioned give the title but it was taken to the extreme) While there were some notable scenes I feel that this movie was too 'all over' Talk of Banoboes left me saying "Huh" I found myself left with many unanswered questions at the end of the movie, and rather annoyed that certain issues weren't addressed that were made out to be a significant part of the plot. I would not recommend this film. If you want to see Amanda Peet 'shine' stick with A Lot Like Love...now there's a movie to be seen!

Actually, my review below makes more sense if the original pseudo word "heaviosity" isn't spell-checked and turned into "heavyset" :). It's a word that Woody Allen coined in one of his movies (I forget which) to denote excessive gravity and self-importance. What I intended to emphasize is that "Origin of the Species" isn't a somber movie by any means, even though it does contain some serious themes. It's summery, easy to watch, even fun--and the beautiful cinematography is like a love letter to suburban New York state. The movie manages to convey character conflict and growth without turning the whole process into a slog. This is a harder feat than it may look. Highly recommended!